Federated Department of History at Rutgers University-Newark and NJIT

Congratulations to Prof. Whitney Strub on the publication of his latest book FILMS THAT EXPLODE LIKE GRENADES: Robert Kramer and the Search for a Radical Cinema! A “ground-breaking accomplishment,” it is a definitive portrait of independent filmmaker Robert Kramer that traces the revolutionary dreams of the Left from the 1960s through the end of the twentieth century.

For more information and to order visit press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/F/bo267053463.html

Films That Explode Like Grenades tracks the histories of leftist film and global revolutionary movements via Kramer’s life and travels. Moving among New York City, Chicago, North Vietnam, Paris, Portugal, Angola, and other crucial flashpoints, Kramer left a major and influential body of work in his wake that has fundamentally shaped the work of radical filmmakers across the globe.

For Strub, Kramer’s career is a key thread in an intimate history of the 1960s New Left, one that emphasizes the complexities of the movement’s internal tensions and its legacies. Drawing on visual analysis, extensive archival research across the United States and France, and myriad interviews with Kramer contemporaries, including Bernardine Dohrn, Tom Hayden, Jonas Mekas, and Kramer’s relatives, Strub transforms Kramer’s life story into a dynamic and engaging social history of 1960s radicalism and its generational legacies.

With detailed mapping of Robert Kramer’s many social and artistic contexts, Films That Explode Like Grenades restores him to a place of global importance in leftist cinema.

Many congratulations to our colleague Mi Hyun Yoon on her latest publication! Her chapter, “WHO IS KOREAN? (Re)imaging Korean Identity by the Overseas Koreans Foundation,” appears in From Koreanness to K-ness: Contemporary Korean Culture and Society (Edited by Seryun Lee). A thoughtful and timely contribution exploring evolving Korean identity in a global context. 

📚Purchase a copy of From Koreanness to K-ness with 20% off using code: 26AFLY1

📖Mi Hyun Yoon explores how the Korean identity of overseas Koreans has been defined and evolved, drawing on a case study of policy and governance involving the Overseas Koreans Foundation. Her chapter demonstrates that the boundaries of Koreanness are not confined to the geographical territory of the Korean nation-state, but can be imagined through the ways in which the state recognises and includes members of its wider community. It traces the trajectory of institutional efforts to identify and include diasporic Korean communities - who also belong to their countries of residence - as an important part of the broader collective that constitutes Korean identity.

Congratulations to Dr. Kristyn Scorsone on winning two teaching awards!

In addition to receiving the Dean’s Undergraduate Teaching and Mentoring Award for their “excellent and transformative” teaching, they also received the New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance’s Teaching Award. The NJSAA award recognized their innovation and creativity in teaching New Jersey history - especially their use of and other oral history materials in teaching, and their emphasis on giving students hands-on experience in public history. The result has been that “students in Kris’ classes feel empowered both academically and personally”.

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Today's spotlight is on Rutgers-Newark Seminar-Research Paper Award recipient Aminah Young, a History major with minors in Legal Studies and Criminal Justice.

Aminah's paper, "Black and Puerto Rican Solidarity in Post-War Newark," examines the formation of political solidarity between African Americans and Puerto Ricans in Newark in the 1960s and 1970s. She approaches both groups as internal migrants who arrived in New Jersey at roughly the same time in search of brighter economic opportunities and aiming to escape oppressive conditions elsewhere in the United States. Through archival research in the Puerto Rican Community Archives at Newark Public Library, Aminah traces how leaders of these communities came together based on common experiences of police violence, racial exclusion, and the decrepit conditions resulting from urban disinvestment and abandonment. This alliance culminated in the election of Newark's first Black mayor, Ken Gibson, in 1970, but proved difficult to sustain during his administration. Aminah examines the emergence of new lines of inter-community tension and differing senses of collective identity to understand the challenging and persistent work of solidarity building. The thoroughness with which she situated this history in the wider sweep of the twentieth century, the nuanced way she navigated the complexities of the subject, and the creativity she brought to her archival research all earned her best paper of the year in Professor Lance Thurner's Latin American Lives Across Borders.

Congratulations, Aminah! We are all so proud of your achievements.

Congratulations to our Seminar-Research Paper Award recipients!

Jonathan M. Hansell
“A Tiny and True Corner of American Living: The Savoy Ballroom’s Effect on 20th Century Race Relations in the US”

Aminah Young
"Black and Puerto Rican Solidarity in Post-War Newark"

You can read more about Jon and Aminah's papers on our website, https://history.newark.rutgers.edu, or view their individual spotlights.

Our second Outstanding Achievement Award recipient is Payton Peterson, a History major with a minor in Political Science, who was born and raised in Las Vegas and joined the Air Force at 19 for the free college benefit. Payton's seminar paper is a comparative analysis of Western European culture through the lens of pre- and post-French Revolution novels from France and England.

Payton's advice to incoming history students: "Rule number 1, have fun!"

Congratulations, Payton! We are all so proud of your achievements.

Today’s spotlight is on our Rutgers-Newark Outstanding Achievement Award Recipients, Jonathan Hansell and Payton Peterson.

Up first is Jonathan Hansell, a major in History with a minor in Urban Education, who transferred to Rutgers-Newark from County College of Morris after a long hiatus from academia.

Jon is also a recipient of the Rutgers-Newark Seminar-Research Paper Award for his paper, “A Tiny and True Corner of American Living: The Savoy Ballroom’s Effect on 20th Century Race Relations in the US,” which explores the Savoy as a space of creativity, pleasure, and economic exchange, while also highlighting its role in challenging racial boundaries and ultimately positioning the Savoy Ballroom as an important site in the history of civil rights activism.

Jon's advice to incoming history students: "If you have the opportunity to take part in the Global Studies program – do everything you can to make it happen. The experience of placing your academic self in an entirely different context is so rewarding. You become immersed in a variety of new things at once, while building meaningful relationships, all while studying history. What’s better than that? Also, make sure you are getting the most out of your time as an undergrad. I wasn’t ready at the default college age of late teens, early twenties. I am so glad that I was able to be able to absorb as much as I did while attending RU-N. If you need to go part-time or take a break, which might add a few years to your journey, don’t hesitate. You can only take with you what you get out of the experience, and that’s based on how much effort you are able to put in."

Congratulations, Jon! We are all so proud of your achievements.

Our second Sydney Zebel Award recipient is Ciera Calderin Vargas, a major in History with a minor in Philosophy, who, as the daughter of a Cuban political refugee, is interested in exploring the interrelationship between efforts to combat the subversive campaign waged by the United States against the Cuban revolutionary government and its translation into terror and alienation for the Cuban people on the home front.

Ciera's advice to incoming history students: "[P]ut aside your convictions and explore varying historical narratives. There are so many sides to history that are not explored by mainstream sources, so really try to broaden your scope. Always be willing to engage with history. Just look at the Rutgers-Newark campus alone; there is so much history all around us every day! I know in this age of lightning-fast information how easy it is to get swept up in headlines and absorbed by trivial entertainment. I would encourage incoming students to look beyond all of that. Walk down a street that you have never paid attention to before. Read that tiny inscription on a bridge that you have driven past a million times. Let yourself be enchanted by the environment around you. I promise, you will be enthralled by all of the history hiding in plain sight!"

Congratulations, Ciera! We are all so proud of your achievements.

Today’s spotlight is on our Rutgers-Newark Sydney Zebel Award recipients, Nathaniel Atwan and Ciera Calderin Vargas.

Up first is Nathaniel Atwan, a senior and graduate student at Rutgers–Newark, specializing in History and Secondary Urban Education, who appreciated the diverse range of course offerings at RU–N because the curriculum allowed him to align his elective choices with his specific research interests and core historical focuses. His favorite subject was Africana History with Professor Tegegne because the material was fascinating, and Professor Tegegne’s passion made the course incredibly engaging. According to Nathaniel, "Professor Tegegne is a patient, cooperative educator who is deeply invested in both the subject matter and the success of his students."

Nathaniel's advice to incoming students: "Be prepared for a significant amount of reading and writing, but know that the topics are deeply rewarding. The department is exceptionally supportive; there are always people looking out for history majors, so you will never feel lost or without guidance."

Congratulations, Nathaniel! We are all so proud of your achievements.

Today’s spotlight is on our Rutgers-Newark Edward H. Zabriskie Award recipient Donald Mason, a double major in History and Political Science witha minor in Psychology, who most enjoyed being the president of the History Club during his time at Rutgers. Some of his favorite History classes and professors include Perspectives in History: China’s Revolution taught by Professor Asen. Professors Thurner, Giloi, Pétursson, and Krasovic all helped Donnie fall even deeper in love with history. Islamic Civilization I, Ancient Greek Civilization, and History of Africa I, taught by Professors Varlik, Beck-Schacter, and Tegegne, respectively, were also some of the most enjoyable courses for him, since he knew so little about the subjects beforehand.

Donnie's advice to incoming history students: "JOIN THE HISTORY CLUB (linktr.ee/runhistory)!!!!!!! Academically, I would say to take advantage of the wide variety of courses the Department offers. Try to expose yourself to as many different topics as possible. If you know you have a gap in knowledge for a particular place or period, you have the opportunity to fill that gap. If you have a particular interest you want to focus on, pursue that, but try to fill in those gaps to become a more well-rounded historian in the process. Also, join the History Club."

Congratulations, Donnie! We are all so proud of your achievements.